Ecommerce accounts for much of their purchasing. A 2019 CivicScience survey fielded through June asked respondents how much of their shopping is done online vs. in-store. Among 25- to 29-year-olds, 50% said at least half of their shopping occurs online, including 27% who said that’s where “all or almost all” of their shopping takes place. The figures were similar for those ages 30 to 34.
There’s no prize for guessing where much of millennials’ online shopping occurs. A March 2019 report by CouponFollow (based on January 2019 polling) said two-thirds of online shoppers ages 22 to 37 make at least half of their online purchases on Amazon. They’re certainly on the platform a lot: In Feedvisor polling in February 2019, 74% of 23-to-38s said they visit Amazon at least weekly, including 25% who do so daily or almost daily. The 2020 edition of Roth Capital Partners’ millennial survey identified 73% of 19- to 39-year-olds as Amazon Prime members. Crucially for brands and competing retailers, Amazon is where many millennials begin when shopping. In CivicScience’s polling, 60% of 25-to-29s and 57% of 30-to-34s said it’s their starting point.
“It’s their No. 1 channel,” Driggs said. “It’s driven a lot by convenience—they really love convenience, and they love saving money.”
Convenience also amplifies the mobile aspect of millennials’ shopping. In May 2019 polling by Fluent for SmartWallet, 70% of respondents 25 to 34 said they prefer using their phone to redeem coupons and rebates. Mobile app usage is standard procedure. In a December 2019 eMarketer survey conducted by Bizrate Insights, about six in 10 US smartphone owners ages 18 to 34 reported using mobile retail apps to seek more information and transact purchases.